Opinionline: Occupy Wall Street fails to create change

Joe Nocera, in The New York Times: "For all intents and purposes, the Occupy movement is dead. … But why? One reason … is that the Occupy protesters were purposely, even proudly, rudderless, eschewing leadership in favor of broad, and thus vague, consensus. … A second is that while they had plenty of grievances, aimed mainly at the 'oppressive' power of corporations, the Occupy protesters never got beyond their own slogans. But the main reason is that, ultimately, Occupy Wall Street simply would not engage with the larger world. Believing that both politicians and corporations were corrupt, it declined to dirty its hands by talking to anyone in power."

Stephanie Keith, AP

An Occupy Wall Street protester is arrested in New York on Saturday.

Stephanie Keith, AP

An Occupy Wall Street protester is arrested in New York on Saturday.

Rebecca Solnit, at The Nation: "Don't get bogged down in the tangible achievements. … The less tangible spirit of Occupy and the new associations it sparked are what matters. … Occupy was … a great meeting ground. People who live too much in the virtual world with its talent for segregation and isolation suddenly met each other face-to-face in public space. There, they found common ground in a passion for economic justice and real democracy, and a recognition of the widespread suffering capitalism has created."

John Hayward, at Human Events: "In 21st century America, liberal politics is all about stitching together a working coalition from rent-seekers and aggrieved interest groups, while keeping the middle class comfortably sedated. … The biggest flaw in Occupy Wall Street was always that it had nothing new to offer. The mainstream Democratic Party is already peddling its ideas, with much more attractive packaging."

New York Post, in an editorial: "(Occupy) certainly caused a ruckus … with their endless, meaningless drum-banging. It shut traffic, depressed commerce, killed jobs and clogged up the courts. … But when City Hall finally summoned the courage to delouse the park, the movement … swiftly fizzled. No doubt, it'll try to reconstitute itself as the presidential election comes to a close. But it'll just be theater. That's all Occupy Wall Street ever was."

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

View the original article here